According to sources, Ajith was subjected to severe physical assault while being held in illegal custody. His younger brother, Naveen Kumar, witnessed the torture firsthand. Post-mortem results from the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where the examination lasted over five hours, revealed extensive injuries—both external and internal.
Judicial sub-magistrate Venkatesh Prasad recorded statements confirming that Ajith was beaten in Naveen’s presence during an unofficial interrogation conducted at multiple locations, not a police station.
Ajith was first picked up by police on June 27, after two women, Sivakami and her daughter Nikita, alleged that ten sovereigns of gold jewellery had gone missing from their car. The women reportedly asked Ajith to park their vehicle. As he didn’t know how to drive, he sought help and returned the keys to them.
Following this, Ajith, his brother, and three others were detained by the special team and interrogated at different spots in Tirupuvanam, rather than through official procedures. All five were reportedly assaulted, and Ajith eventually lost consciousness during the ordeal.
Naveen’s detailed testimony was submitted to the magistrate. He recounted that on the night of June 27, the five men were taken into custody again by a six-member special unit. In the early hours of June 28, Naveen was also picked up. He stated that they were not brought to any police station but were driven to remote areas including a lake, the premises behind the Madapuram school hostel, and the area near the Thirupuvanam Veterinary Hospital.
At one such location, Ajith was tied up and severely beaten in an attempt to extract a confession. Under duress, Ajith falsely claimed he could help recover the missing jewellery if taken to a cow shed behind the Assistant Commissioner’s office. Once there, he confessed he had fabricated the story, saying he could no longer endure the torture. He collapsed soon after.
Naveen was later informed that his brother had been taken to a private hospital where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’. Ajith’s body was subsequently shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital for post-mortem.
In response to the incident, six policemen from the special unit—Prabhu, Kannan, Sankara Manikandan, Raja, Anand, and Ramachandran—have been suspended. A preliminary FIR has been filed under Section 176 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which addresses deaths occurring in custody. However, no charges of assault or homicide have been brought against the officers so far.
The incident sparked protests in Madapuram village, with locals demanding criminal action against the personnel involved. Adding to the controversy, AIADMK members and villagers clashed with local DMK functionaries who arrived at Ajith’s residence. Tensions rose when Ajith’s family was seen being escorted in a vehicle marked with the DMK flag, with accusations that the ruling party was attempting to manage public response.
Residents allege that such political interventions have become common in custodial violence cases and that families are often pressured to avoid pursuing legal remedies.
The family has reportedly been offered Rs 5 lakh in compensation and a government job, a promise allegedly made by Cooperation Minister Periyakarupan, who represents Sivaganga. However, there has been no official confirmation from the minister’s office.
